Grace Morgan

Is medication the most beneficial treatment for children with ADHD compared to the use of behavioral

therapy?Led a yoga class with students at Powhatan

Elementary

Why did I choose this topic?

I chose this topic because I have been directly influenced by my sister’s severe ADHD. We have had relationship problems in the past that have been caused by this and I wanted to research ADHD to get closer to her and understand what she was struggling with. I also chose this topic because I saw that my mom was having difficulty controlling my sister at times, and I wanted to see what treatments would positively impact our family.

Research

ADHD is caused by an imbalance of dopamine and nor epinephrine in frontal lobes

Three times as many boys than girls are diagnosed with ADHD

Three children in every 100 between ages 4-14 has ADHD

Ratio of guys to girls getting tested for ADHD is 10:1

About half of the people who take medication continue to take it as adults

ResearchAdvantages of medication:

Ability to concentrate and focus

Improves grades and social interactions

Decreases impulsiveness, restlessness and hyperactivity

Disadvantages of medication:

Causes appetite and weight loss

Sadness or irritability once medication wears off

Inability to sleep through night, headaches and stomachaches

Research

Treatment for ADHDDiet Modification

Exclusion diet to find out what

triggers ADHDFoods are

specific to each child

Refined sugar and food additives

aggravate symptoms of

ADHD

Behavioral Therapy

Alters children’s behavior

Routines help children in the

long runHelps children

adjust to disorderTeaches children how to become well adjusted

adults

MedicationTakes care of the

basic symptoms of disorder

Helps children concentrate and

focusImproves grades

and social interactions

Different types of medication work

for different children

Research

Behavior modification is teaching kids useful and rewarding ways to control/change behavior

Routine is vital for children with ADHD who have problems paying attention

Children can be taught simple ways to change behavior by mixture of rules, rewards and punishment

ADHD kids require specially designed treatment programs that use repetition, regularity and endless patience

Obstacles I Overcame

Repetitive information

Taking a support or refute stance

Staying within the page limit

Organizing all of my ideas in a way that flowed properly

Many parents have differing opinions for their children

Successes I had

Finding repetitive information pushed me to dig deeper and search for alternative statistics

Found many articles on studies and tests done on medicine for children with ADHD

Finishing the paper on time and passing on the first try

Understood my topic very well which allowed me to write the paper more effectively

Link between research and product

In my research, I found that children with ADHD were receptive to yoga, classical music and other similar behavioral techniques. For my product, I led a yoga class with students at Powhatan Elementary to see how the yoga would affect their performance in school and at home.

My Product

What I Learned- Myself

I learned to be patient. The children I worked with are very active and they were very hard to control at times. I had to keep my cool and learn to be patient with the kids.

I learned that time management is key. The only way I could have completed this entire project is if I set goals and deadlines for myself.

I am capable of relying on myself. I did mostly everything on my own, and it was rewarding to know that I completed the product on my own.

What I Learned-Future

I learned that I do not want to go into a profession involving children. Although I learned patience, I do not think I could handle teaching students all the time.

I am capable of doing anything I set my mind to, which will help me motivate myself in college.

Meaning

This product was very meaningful to me and I benefited a lot from it. It showed me to loosen up in life and not worry about so much. The children I worked with were so carefree and playful and I learned that I needed to be more carefree as well.

It may take a while, but I am becoming more understanding with my sister. We are slowly starting to get along much better.

Thank you.Questions?